NH1 News

Police: Another Albuquerque officer involved in shooting

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Just a day after a district attorney announced murder charges against two Albuquerque police officers, authorities said another city police officer shot and killed a man Tuesday night.

Police said the latest shooting happened just before 5 p.m. after officers were dispatched to a busy eastern Albuquerque street after a report of suspicious criminal activity.

The officers arrived and took one man into custody, but another man fled on foot, police said.

Albuquerque police spokeswoman Celina Espinoza said the fleeing man later fired shots at the officers, and at least one officer returned fire, killing the suspect. The man was wearing body armor, and his weapon was found near his body, Espinoza said.

The man's name was not released. The name of officer who fired shots also was not released.

Albuquerque Deputy Chief Robert Huntsman told reporters that no officers were seriously injured.

Patrick Dowless, who lives near where the shooting took place, told that Journal that he saw what he believes is a body lying near the scene of the shooting.

"I heard 11 to 14 shots and heard screeching tires and sirens, so I knew something was happening," Dowless said. "I went outside and saw lots of officers running towards a body and some running the other way. The officers were standing over the body but when the paramedics arrived they stood up right away."

Tuesday's shooting marks the department's third this year first fatal one and comes a day after Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg announced that she was seeking murder charges against two officers for the March shooting of James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man who authorities said suffered from mental illness.

Last week, police say Lt. Greg Brachle shot and critically wounded by a fellow officer during an undercover drug bust. Police Chief Gordon Eden said preliminary information shows both officers were working undercover and were in plain clothes when the shooting happened.

Earlier this month, Albuquerque police officer Lou Golson fired his weapon after he was shot and wounded during a traffic stop. Authorities say Golson is in stable condition at a hospital. The suspect, who was not injured in the shooting, is being held on attempted murder and other charges.

The shootings also come as the city of Albuquerque and the U.S. Justice Department are working to finalize an agreement to overhaul the police department following a harsh report on its use of force. The agreement now is before a federal judge, and both sides are working to approve a monitoring team.

In addition, Albuquerque police had been under scrutiny for more than 40 police shootings since 2010.